England players threaten to boycott The Hundred after ECB’s ban on PSL participation

In a massive development, nearly 50 English players are willing to boycott The Hundred 2025 season. This comes after the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) decided to restrict players with first-class contracts from participating in franchise leagues that clash with their domestic season.

ECB’s new policy

The ECB won’t be granting No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to players who wish to feature in leagues all over the world during the Country Championship (April to July and September). The only exception would be the Indian Premier League (IPL), whose 2025 edition will run from March 14 to May 25.

Furthermore, to ensure the interest of counties who contacted the ECB, players will have to feature in domestic T20 competitions, the Vitality Blast (May to July) and the Hundred (August). This means players won’t be able to participate in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Major League Cricket, Global T20 League, Lanka Premier League, and Caribbean Premier League.

According to The Telegraph, such restrictions have forced about 40-50 players to take matters into their own hands, and they feel the best way to do that is by boycotting the Hundred. For the unaware, the ECB has put all of its chips into the 100-ball tournament. To increase their profits, they’ve decided to sell a 49% stake in each of the eight Hundred franchises.

Several IPL and Premier League team owners have expressed interest in buying a stake in these franchises. If 50 players, many of whom have represented England cricket team in the past, are willing to boycott the tournament to ensure their voices are heard, it’ll cost them significantly financially.

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Lucrative PSL 2025 deals

Some of these players have signed lucrative deals with different leagues, many of which are multi-year contracts. Several players, including Jonny Bairstow, have received a hefty offer from the PSL. Since he and some of the other stars have gone unsold in the IPL 2025 auction, PSL is where they can get the biggest paycheck. But the ECB’s new policy might stop them from cashing these checks. 

Some players are even considering terminating their county contracts to continue playing across the world in different franchise leagues. Many of these cricketers, like Bairstow, are aging and aren’t exactly in contention to return to England’s national side. Everyone knows an athlete’s career lifespan is short, and to deprive them of making the most of it financially at the back end seems unfair to many players.

A whopping 75 English players participated in different leagues worldwide in 2024. But if the ECB won’t grant NOCs to players, this number would significantly decrease, and barring the IPL, only a few leagues towards the start of the year, like the SA20 or ILT20, would be the ones left. However, one mustn’t forget if England calls a player up during these tournaments, they won’t be able to go either.